Letters to the editor | Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019: Modesto hotel, pit bulls, impeachment, climate change

Don’t waste that money, Modesto

I was happy to read that the Modesto City Council decided to stop its $380,000 (of our tax money) study on the feasibility of another hotel downtown. These “studies” rarely provide any real information that is useful. Politicians with an agenda use these reports to justify their own poor decision making.

If we were to look back over 20 years and see how much money we have spent on these studies we wouldn’t be so quick to authorize another. If these guys just read the last study they would find all the answers are already there.

Let’s use common sense. I am going to save the city $380,000: Call Alan Grant, the builder of the Red Lion Hotel. Ask him if Modesto can support a new hotel. He will know. Check the DoubleTree registration; is it ever over 90%? They will know.

This “build it and they will come” attitude from people who have never built a hotel should stop. If conditions support a hotel that is commercially viable, developers will come to us.

Hold aggressive dog owner accountable

Re “Modesto man is latest victim of dog that has bitten people before,” (Nov. 8): Why is there only a picture of the dog locked up? What about the dog’s owners? They are responsible for the dog’s actions. They should be locked up.

As a dog owner who walks his dogs daily, I have encountered aggressive dogs and their owners numerous times, and had my dogs attacked several times. In each of those cases the aggressive dog’s owner was an insecure jerk who thought that an aggressive dog made him look tough. In reality he just looked ignorant.

If an aggressive dog must be euthanized, then the person responsible for that dog should be punished.

A case for impeachment

During the elementary part of each child’s education, use of a calendar is part of every curriculum. It’s as ingrained as the alphabet. This basic ability seems to escape GOP congressional representatives.

Arms to fight our global nemesis, Russia, were withheld in August. They were withheld on the contingency that Ukraine would investigate some conspiracy theories regarding the Biden family. There is no longer any disputing this scenario, since it has been supported by several representatives to that country, as well as members of Trump’s administration. A whistleblower brought this to the attention of Congress in September, for which our intelligence heads were grateful. In short order, the Ukrainians got the promised defense help from our government.

Without the patriotism of the whistleblower, our president may have extorted information to undermine an American presidential election, in exchange for arms to fight one of the worst global players, when it comes to our democracy. To get caught extorting an ally to undermine the sovereignty of an American election and placing our national security at risk is an impeachable offense. It’s not rocket science; timelines are as simple as A-B-C.

Following the leader, blindly

Regarding Rep. Tom McClintock’s support for Donald Trump, the congressman says he “can tell the difference between a fire and a fireman.” Apparently he can’t tell the difference between a fireman and an arsonist.

Anyone but Trump

I watched the public inquiry with interest about what went on with Ukraine. Why would a president send his so-called personal attorney to Ukraine? Sounds fishy to me. Of course, Trump denies any wrong dealings but who can believe a man who has lied thousands of times since taking office?

I never followed politics until the election of 2016. We have a con man who would do anything to stay in office. To me, he is an idiot. He doesn’t speak very well and always repeats himself. To him, everyone in his administration is either terrific or wonderful. This guy needs to go. Anyone would be better than Trump for another four years.

Republicans stick up for this liar; they do not want to ruffle feathers come 2020 when they try to take back the House. McConnell defends him only because he is running for re-election. It’s time for Mitch to retire and let new blood in the Senate. Nunes and Connor are two more puppets.

We have to get our nation back to some sort of normality or what country will respect our country?

Act now against climate change...

I share your anger against the exploitation of our economy and our planet. Just 100 companies are responsible for over 70% of global emissions. Burying your head in the sand is not the answer. It is time to do the right thing and act.

In every battle against massive injustice carried out by the few against the many, the only thing we can do is fight hopelessness. Some choose to recycle, some choose to eat less meat, but all people who make small changes are united by the hope for a better world tomorrow.

The consequences of giving up in the fight against climate change are catastrophic. Bangladesh, Italy, and Florida underwater? Massive influx of refugees? The Central Valley becoming a desert? Higher average temperatures, allowing disease to run rampant? Yup.

We have been given many privileges, thanks to generations before us. Now it is our turn to do the right thing by making small sacrifices in order to help the generation who will come after us. We must conserve what our children deserve.

...Which will seriously harm farming

Central Valley agriculture is in trouble. Warmer temperatures and frequent heat waves have reduced yields of wine grapes, strawberries and walnuts, while shorter chill seasons and unpredictable weather patterns have made some impacts already on pecans and stone fruit. We all have witnessed droughts of recent years in the wake of undeniably changing climate, a bad omen for an agricultural community that relies on large quantities of surface water and groundwater.

A recent paper out of UC Merced suggests the increased rate and scale of climate change is beyond the realm of experience for the agricultural community. I believe we should all take that seriously, considering the threat this complex issue poses to the economic future of our region.

If we care about the future of our community, we should call upon our congressman, Josh Harder, to back H.R. 763: The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. This bipartisan legislation will allow for a climate solution that encourages job and economic growth, while controlling emissions and improving public health. With action, and a little luck, perhaps we can still maintain the agricultural tradition of our area for years to come.

Ending carbon fuel dependence

The appalling frequency of extreme weather events is finally generating more bipartisan congressional response. The best legislation uses market based incentives to shift the economy away from reliance on burning carbon fuels, coal, oil, and gas. The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend bill (HR763) would offset the fee on carbon being extracted from the earth through a monthly dividend to each adult,with half credit for children. This would be paid through electronic cash transfer, as is Social Security.

Another advantage: imports would be charged a carbon offset unless the exporting country had imposed an equal or greater carbon fee. This would help restore American leadership and be an incentive to other countries to comply with the pledge they made in the Paris climate accord of 2015, of which the U.S. is still a member.

Young people are alarmed. We pretended that climate change would be a slowly developing emergency. The tremendous costs of record fires, floods, hurricanes, and accelerating glacial melting have made clear that the crisis is now. We must act responsibly because we are responsible. I would like to see our bright new congressman, Josh Harder, join the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus.

Look ahead, America

Our government has been gridlocked for decades. Most Americans have never seen a great economy, like 1945 to 1980, when real income grew 2% per year for all income groups.

A house divided against itself cannot stand. China, Japan and Europe are moving ahead. They’re investing to create a skilled workforce and win 21st Century jobs. They’re investing in technology and long-term growth, rather than short-term profits and higher stock prices.

We must find common ground and build our country’s future. We have a huge skill gap and wealth gap. Good-paying jobs are skilled jobs. We must increase the skill level of our workforce — both college and hands-on skills. Our educational system is broken. Teachers are underpaid and classes are too large. Kids need to strengthen their unique talents, not be pushed into academics. Moms work and need affordable preschool.

U.S. healthcare is becoming unaffordable, and only serves half of our people well. Our statistics for child mortality, average lifespan, and death from preventable diseases are terrible. We must address climate change now.

America used to be a land of opportunities. It can be again. We must come together, find common ground, and invest in our future.

Modesto buses are chaotic

I want to vent my frustrations concerning our city busing system. I said system but it’s more chaos than system. System would mean that there is order and MAX is way off course. Routes are continually late.

A lot of this stems from lack of organization, which starts with leadership. I see drivers making small talk with others and it’s 10 minutes after their route was supposed to leave. Also, drivers seem to not pay attention as they miss stops and ignore picking up passengers. Buses are often traveling with no route listing so no one knows which route it is. Also, buses often do not park in designated slots in the downtown depot. This is confusing, especially if no one tells you.

This story was originally published November 15, 2019 at 2:42 PM with the headline "Letters to the editor | Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019: Modesto hotel, pit bulls, impeachment, climate change."